Report: Arkansas ranks in top 10 for clean technology jobs

Monday

LITTLE ROCK — A new report ranks Arkansas in the top 10 among all 50 states and the District of Columbia in clean technology jobs as a percentage of the total work force.

The report by DBL Investors, "Red, White & Green: The True Colors of America’s Clean Tech Jobs," says 2.8 percent of all jobs in Arkansas are in the clean technology sector.

Alaska tops the list with 5.1 percent, followed by Oregon with 3.7 percent, Montana with 3.3 percent, Vermont and the District of Columbia with 3.2 percent each, Washington with 3 percent, Tennessee and Idaho with 2.9 percent each and Wisconsin, Arkansas and South Carolina with 2.8 percent each.

"Arkansans should be very proud to see our state in the top 10 nationwide for clean tech jobs," said Glen Hooks, senior campaign representative with the Sierra Club. "Arkansas workers can play a major role in growing the clean energy economy in our region."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, clean technology employment grew by 16.22 percent from between 2003 and 2010, employing more than 30,000 workers in 2010. The average wage for a clean technology job was $32,116.00 per year, in 2009 dollars.

DBI Investors is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that seeks to combine high-level financial performance with social, economic and environmental returns in the regions where it invests.